Belleville Bucs ‘getting close’ to first

By Mike Lamberti

CORREPONDENT |

Belleville Times

In his first season as head coach of the Belleville High boys' basketball team, Jim Stoeckel has run the gamut of emotions.

"Two weeks ago, I was like 'what can I do to keep these kids up'? Stoekel recalled. "But the past few weeks, it's been 'wow, they're getting close.' That's how it goes in coaching, especially with a program where you're trying to establish the right message for long-term thinking, but also to make sure the current team understands their potential."

The Bucs lost a heartbreaker last Friday night, to Montclair Immaculate in overtime, 70-67, in Belleville. And while the team is still seeking its first win, you could never tell by talking to Stoekel.

"During a time out of a recent game, I was going over a play and the kids were really pumped up," Stoekel said. "They were like 'let's go, let's do this.' It was nice to see. These kids have never stopped playing hard and competing. That's going to go a long way for the returning players, as well as teaching the seniors a lesson about resiliency which hopefully carries over into their adult lives."

Joel Ayala and Wilbert Then paced a balanced Belleville scoring attack with 17 points each. Andre Velez had 12 points, Antonio Tyler scored 11, Jacob Daban finished with six and Will Smith scored five points for the Bucs.

Belleville gained the early lead in the game, leading 21-14 after one quarter. Montclair Immaculate, coached by one-time Belleville head coach Dan Grasso, chipped away at the deficit and tied it at the end of regulation with a 20-16 fourth quarter run.

The Bucs also played solid games in losses to Newark Central, 67-53 and Verona, 58-45 last week.

"We opened our season (on Dec. 20) against Newark Central and lost by 39 (72-33)," Stoeckel recalled. "This time, we're winning at the start of the fourth quarter (36-34). The final score wasn't really indicative of how close that game was. I was proud of the way we played."

Smith's 15 points led Belleville in the Verona game. Then finished with 13 points and Tyler scored 11.

Belleville was scheduled to play at Weequahic tonight, at 7 p.m.,. and will be home to North 13th Street Tech on Feb. 11, also at 7 p.m.

While the season is starting to wind down, Stoeckel is looking ahead, as well.

"A lot of the kids are already talking about playing in the off season," Stoeckel said. "The attitude and work ethic has been there, and that's apparent in the way we've been playing of late. A win would go a long way for these kids' confidence. They deserve that opportunity."

Belleville Bucs ‘getting close’ to first

By Mike Lamberti

CORREPONDENT |

Belleville Times

In his first season as head coach of the Belleville High boys' basketball team, Jim Stoeckel has run the gamut of emotions.

"Two weeks ago, I was like 'what can I do to keep these kids up'? Stoekel recalled. "But the past few weeks, it's been 'wow, they're getting close.' That's how it goes in coaching, especially with a program where you're trying to establish the right message for long-term thinking, but also to make sure the current team understands their potential."

The Bucs lost a heartbreaker last Friday night, to Montclair Immaculate in overtime, 70-67, in Belleville. And while the team is still seeking its first win, you could never tell by talking to Stoekel.

"During a time out of a recent game, I was going over a play and the kids were really pumped up," Stoekel said. "They were like 'let's go, let's do this.' It was nice to see. These kids have never stopped playing hard and competing. That's going to go a long way for the returning players, as well as teaching the seniors a lesson about resiliency which hopefully carries over into their adult lives."

Joel Ayala and Wilbert Then paced a balanced Belleville scoring attack with 17 points each. Andre Velez had 12 points, Antonio Tyler scored 11, Jacob Daban finished with six and Will Smith scored five points for the Bucs.

Belleville gained the early lead in the game, leading 21-14 after one quarter. Montclair Immaculate, coached by one-time Belleville head coach Dan Grasso, chipped away at the deficit and tied it at the end of regulation with a 20-16 fourth quarter run.

The Bucs also played solid games in losses to Newark Central, 67-53 and Verona, 58-45 last week.

"We opened our season (on Dec. 20) against Newark Central and lost by 39 (72-33)," Stoeckel recalled. "This time, we're winning at the start of the fourth quarter (36-34). The final score wasn't really indicative of how close that game was. I was proud of the way we played."

Smith's 15 points led Belleville in the Verona game. Then finished with 13 points and Tyler scored 11.

Belleville was scheduled to play at Weequahic tonight, at 7 p.m.,. and will be home to North 13th Street Tech on Feb. 11, also at 7 p.m.

While the season is starting to wind down, Stoeckel is looking ahead, as well.

"A lot of the kids are already talking about playing in the off season," Stoeckel said. "The attitude and work ethic has been there, and that's apparent in the way we've been playing of late. A win would go a long way for these kids' confidence. They deserve that opportunity."